,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,###,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,,##,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#               winds esker                #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## there was this place that for two  years #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# i  couldn't  go to. regardless how  much #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## discussed  with  others, or pointed  out #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# on maps, i could not  think of  it  when #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## alone.  i would often  travel  past  the #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# fork,  where a  right turn  would surely #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## take me there, but  even then, something #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#              kept me away.               #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# when i  finally  got there,  after  some #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##     heavy subconscious battle i must     #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# assume,   the   place  was  surreal.  an #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## esker,  like a needle-thin  rift  out in #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# the  lake,  but  ten   meters  high  and #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## adorned in  birch,  willow, bracken, and #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#               blueberries.               #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# walking  atop  that  spine,  i  came  to #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## notice the view  to  either  side. there #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# should  be  shores,  of  course,  but  i #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## didn't recognize them.  first  off, they #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# were much too close,  as the lake should #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## stretch  for  a hundred meters  more  on #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# both  sides.  but now  i  felt  i  could #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## almost  reach  out  and  touch them. and #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# then, when i realized  which shores they #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##           were, i had to stop.           #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## they were of the right  lake.  but  this #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#      lake is large, fractured, and       #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## bipartite.  like a  pair of lungs carved #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# into the granite, and with no  less than #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##   five communities anchored at various   #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#      points. and so, studying these      #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##     impossibly close shores, i slowly    #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# understood  them as belonging many miles #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                  away.                   #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## i  examined   the  ridge,  the  treeline #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# above.  was this what you  saw opposite, #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## from  those  other  shores?  i  couldn't #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                remember.                 #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# carrying forward,  on  the  very tip  of #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## the  esker,  i found the ruins  of  some #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#    old building. there were overgrown    #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## marble staircases, stone floors beneath  #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# the  moss,  and  strange  slabs inserted #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## into  the  slope like  dams against  the #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#              ground itself.              #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# sitting there,  i  could  see across the #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## narrowed lake my entire  path to where i #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# sat:  from  the stairwell of  my  house, #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## through  the old woods behind  the  tile #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#      factory, the bridge over route      #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## twenty three  and  then back  under  it, #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# through  the  fancy  villas,  over   the #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## fields, and then that right turn at  the #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                   fork.                  #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# and then  the  stairs up on  the  ridge. #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## thinking back,  this  was  probably  it. #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# hidden  in a  grove,  there  were stairs #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## much like  the ones  i currently sat on, #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# old  and  worn  down,  that  lead you up #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## onto  the esker. the point of entry. had #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# i  insted opted to walk the path  at its #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## foot,  i'm  sure my  experience would've #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#          been different indeed.          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# on   the  lake,  there  were  people  in #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,## boats. i wondered, could  they  even see #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,# me?  if  i shouted, would they  turn  to #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##          stare right through me?         #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##
,,#,#,#,##                                          #,#,#,#,,#
,##,#,#,,#                                          #,#,#,#,##